Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Valencia’s POV
The door slammed open, and Aiden stood in the doorway, his eyes wide with alarm.
His chest rose and fell with the strain of running as he took in the scene–the tangled sheets, my trembling hands clutching Castor’s egg to my chest, and the wild look in my tear–streaked face.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice sharp, his tone betraying his panic.
I stared at him, unable to form a coherent response. My lips trembled as I gasped for air, the lingering threads of the bond I had just opened with Dante still clawing at my mind.
It felt like his presence was still with me, suffocating and overwhelming. My chest heaved, my breaths quick and shallow as fear began to consume me.
“He’s here,” I whispered hoarsely. My words were barely audible, but the weight of them hung in the air like a death
sentence.
Aiden’s brows furrowed, his expression shifting to one of confusion. “Who’s here? What are you talking about?”
I couldn’t answer. My wide, tear–filled eyes flickered to Castor’s egg as my heart raced in panic. That brief moment of feeling Dante’s presence had been a reprieve, but now that it was gone, reality came crashing down like a tidal wave. My breaths became erratic, uneven.
“He’s here,” I repeated, my voice breaking as the panic set in fully. I didn’t know if I should be relieved or terrified. I didn’t know if I should run or stay. My entire body felt like it was about to give out from sheer exhaustion–physical and emotional.
“Valencia,” Aiden said sharply, stepping closer.
“Are you hyperventilating?” His tone shifted, a note of worry creeping into it as he approached cautiously.
I nodded, then shook my head, my breaths coming in rapid, shallow gasps. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I struggled to speak, my words a jumbled mess. “I–I don’t–he’s-”
“Hey, hey,” Aiden said firmly, half sitting on the edge of the bed but still towering over me. His movements were careful, as if he were afraid of startling me further. “Look at me. Just breathe, okay?”
But I couldn’t. The air refused to fill my lungs, the panic wrapping around my chest like an iron vice. My body trembled violently as I tried to push him away when he reached for me.
“Calm down,” Aiden said, his voice lower now, almost soothing. His hand hovered hesitantly near my face before covering- my mouth gently. “Just hold your breath for a moment–it’ll help, I promise.”
I flinched, my instincts screaming at me to move away from him but my body was frozen in place. Before I could process his words or push him away, the window shattered behind him with a deafening crash.
Glass rained down onto the floor, glittering like shards of ice in the dim light. My eyes widened in horror as a familiar scent washed over me–smoke, lavendar, and something dark and primal.
Dante.
“I. Will, Kill. You.”
His voice was a low, guttural growl, brimming with unrestrained fury.
Chapter 1
Before I could even comprehend what was happening, Dante was on Aiden. In a blur of motion, he yanked Aiden off the bed and flung him against the wall with such force that the plaster cracked.
“Dante?” I screamed, scrambling off the bed and clutching Castor’s egg tightly to my chest. My entire body shook as f warched in horror.
Aiden groaned, his expression shifting from fear to anger as he staggered to his feet. His eyes darted to Dante, then to me, confusion evident in his gaze. But he didn’t have time to process what was happening.
Dante stood tall and terrifying, his golden and turquoise scales shimmering under the dim light of the room. His eyes burned with a rage I had never seen before–deep crimson and molten gold, swirling with unrestrained madness. He looked like a beast barely holding itself together.
“Dante, stop!” I pleaded, my voice trembling as I
mbled forward. “Please, stop! You’ll kill him!”
Dante didn’t seem to hear me. His entire focus was on Aiden, who was still trying to regain his footing
unbridled aggression.
with venom. His claws extended, his body radiating pure,
“How dare he touch you?” Dante snarled, his voice bling over e
“He was–he was helping me!” I stammered, my words tumbling over each other as I tried to make him understand. “Please, Dante, don’t hurt him!”
Dante’s burning eyes finally flickered to me, his gaze softening for just a moment before his lips curled into a dark smile. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because he didn’t do anything!” I cried, my voice breaking as tears streamed down my
face.
His smile faded, replaced by something raw and agonizing. He closed the distance between us in an instant, his claws retracting as he grabbed me by the back of my arm and pulled me flush against him. His touch was firm, almost desperate, as he stared down at me with an intensity that made my knees weak.
“I didn’t do anything either,” he said, his voice low and trembling with emotion. “Then why are you so hell–bent on hurting
me?”
His words hit me like a punch to the chest. My eyes widened as his anguish seeped into me through our connection, and my heart clenched painfully. I… hurt him?
“I–I didn’t hurt you-” I started, shaking my head frantically.
But before I could finish, he opened the bond completely, letting his emotions flood into me like a tidal wave.
My legs gave out beneath me, and I clung to his arms to keep myself upright as the sheer intensity of his feelings overwhelmed me. Tears spilled from my eyes as I gasped for air choking on the weight of his sorrow, anger, and longing. Why? Why did it feel like someone had ripped my heart apart?
“You said you wouldn’t force me to stay,” I choked out, my voice barely audible.
“After the contract time was over!” Dante roared, his voice cracking with raw emotion.
I flinched, my entire body trembling as his grip on me tightened
“You didn’t even last twenty–four hours without me,” he said, his tone shifting to something colder, more dangerous. His eyes glinted with a madness that sent a shiver down my spine. “And you think you can live without me? Bullshit!”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come.
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Chapter 81
“I warned you, Valencia,” he continued, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “When you signed that contract. 1 warned you what would happen if you broke it. And I promised that I would let you go after one year. But you didn’t listen”
His lips curled into a dark, twisted smile, his eyes blazing with a mix of fury and despair. “Now, I won’t ever let you leave.”
His words hung in the air like a death sentence, and I felt the world tilt beneath me.
“You were the one who broke the contract first,” he said softly, his voice laced with an unsettling calm. “And now, you’re mine. Whether you like it or not.”
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